From Publishers Weekly
"I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life." Esteemed historical novelist Pressfield (
Gates of Fire;
Tides of War) crawls inside the brave heart of Alexander the Great in this chronicle of the king's bloody and extraordinary accomplishments and boundless ambition. Presented as Alexander's confessions (and lessons) to his brother-in-law, Itanes, as the Macedonian commander and his increasingly reluctant armies try to figure out how to cross "this river of India" to engage in yet another battle, the novel tells of Alexander's father's last victory (the defeat of the Greeks at Chaeronea) before his assassination; of how, over his father's corpse, Alexander cements his plans for future campaigns; of his struggle with his "daimon," which would call him to glory; of his burning of Thebes; of his march east and his slaughter throughout Asia; of his murder of his friend Cleitus ("I felt his spine shear"). Alexander's voice swoops from high-minded rhetoric to earthy vernacular as he regales Itanes with bloody battle scenes and stories of horror and triumph. For devotees of Alexandrite military history—and there are many—this is a sympathetic if slightly overlong portrait of a man who knew no doubt: "Fame imperishable and glory that will never die:
that is what we march for!"
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Pressfield, who has written previously of Sparta and Thermopylae and also of Alcibiades of Athens, presents the "memoirs" of Alexander the Great. As the conqueror relates his life to one of his squires, we hear of his father, Philip; the rise of Macedonia to preeminence over all of Greece; the conquest of Persia; as well as the triumphs, fears, failures, and heartache of one who acquired so much, so young. James Langton is an expressive reader who adroitly employs various British accents for the different characters. A common soldier has a working-class accent, Alexander's peers sound aristocratic, and the squire is given an Irish-sounding voice. Langton's voice for Alexander is soft-spoken, almost weary, but confident and strong. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.